This invention relates to an adhesive bra and, more particularly, to an adhesive bra with improved breathability.
It is desirable in the selection of undergarments to have a bra which provides support for a user's breasts and which would not become obviously visible when the user wears sheer or revealing clothing. Adhesive bras are well known in the art and often have a less conspicuous appearance or outline when worn by the user. Conventional adhesive bras comprise two cups each cup being formed from a porous cup member with an adhesive coating disposed on one side, or a portion of one side, of the porous member for securing the cup member to the user's skin. Examples of typical adhesive bras are disclosed in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. D485,965 and 6,645,042.
While it is aesthetically desirable that the user's bra remain concealed from view, it is also essential for the safety and comfort of the user to have a bra that is breathable. Conventional adhesive bras typically have limited breathability as a result of the adhesive coating disposed on the cup member. In particular, even if the cup member is porous and has breathable properties, the adhesive coating blocks the pore openings on the surface of the cup member and impedes the air exchange between the user's skin and the atmosphere. The lack of breathability of the bra often causes its user to experience great discomfort, such as itching, blisters and other skin irritation problems.
To improve the breathability of an adhesive bra, the bra may include through openings, which pass through at least the cup member and the adhesive coating. For example, U.S. application Ser. No. 10/869,442 assigned to the same assignee herein, discloses a breathable adhesive bra comprising a transparent member including a clear adhesive layer, and a having a plurality of circular or oval through openings over the area of the transparent member. In addition, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2003/0220048 discloses a breathable backsheet for a breast pad to be used with a bra in which the backsheet has a plurality of circular or non-circular openings.
While the through openings in the bra cup improve the breathability of adhesive bras, the formation of the openings through the cup member and the adhesive coating using conventional methods is difficult due to the shapes of the openings and the presence of the adhesive. In particular, when die cutting is used to form the openings in the adhesive bra, residue cut-outs adhere to the dies making the dies inoperable and difficult to clean. As a result, manufacturing adhesive bras with through openings becomes impracticable and costly.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an adhesive bra with improved breathability so as to allow for greater comfort to the user's skin.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a breathable adhesive bra which is easy to manufacture.